Container closure having integral tear strips



Get 17, 1967 s. B. COOLIDGE, JR. E AL 3,347,407

R CLOSURE HAVING INTEGRAL TEAR STRIPS CONTAINE Filed June 7, 1965SOLLACE 8. JOHN D United States Patent C) 3,347,407 CONTAINER CLOSUREHAVING INTEGRAL TEAR STRIPS Sollace B. Coolidge, Jr., Chagrin Falls,Ohio, and John Daniel Czarneclri, Downers Grove, 11]., assignors to TheSherwin-Williams Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ghio FiledJune 7, 1965, Ser. No. 461,902 Claims. (Cl. Hit-54) ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE A container having a sealed cover curved around a portion ofthe body portion of the container, the cover having two tear strips forprogressively unsealing the cover from the body portion.

This invention relates to containers and, more particularly, tocontainers having removable cover members, which are particularly welladapted for use in commercial packaging materials for sale and shipment.

It is a primary object of the present invention to afford a novelcontainer.

Another object of the present invention is to afford a novel containerembodying a novel removable cover member.

A further object of the present invention is to afford a novel containerembodying a novel cover member of the tearstrip type, which may beremoved in a novel and expeditious manner.

Containers embodying cover members of the tear-strip type have beenheretofore known in the art. However, containers of that type,heretofore, have commonly had several inherent disadvantages such as,for example, being diflicult to open; requiring that the cover member bemade of undesirably thin or weak material; not embodying a cover memberwhich afforded a practical closure member for reinstallation on thecontainer after it had once been removed; not affording a sealed, orliquid type container; or being diflicult or expensive to manufacture,and the like. It is an important object of the present invention toovercome such disadvantages.

Another object of the present invention is to aiford a novel covermember for use on containers such as cans, jars, and the like.

Yet another object is to enable a tear-strip cover member to beconstructed in a novel and expeditious manner whereby it may beconstructed of relatively heavy gauge material and yet be manuallyopened with relatively little eflort.

A further object is to afford a novel container of the aforementionedtype, embodying pull tabs constituted and arranged on the cover memberthereof in a novel and expeditious manner.

Another object of the present invention is to aiford a novel containerof the aforementioned type which is practical and eflicient inconstruction and operation, and which may be readily and economicallyproduced commercially.

Other and further objects of the present invention will be apparent fromthe following description and claims and are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings which, by way of illustration, show preferredembodiments of the present invention and the principles thereof and whatwe now consider to be the best mode in which we have contemplatedapplying these principles. Other embodiments of the invention embodyingthe same or equivalent principles may be used, and structural changesmay be made as desired, by those skilled in the art without de-3,347,467 Patented Oct. 17, 1967 parting from the present invention andthe purview of the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a container embodying theprinciples of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, detail sectional view taken substantially alongthe line 22 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view of a portion of thecontainer shown in FIG. 1, with a part of the cover member removed;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 3, but with an additionalpart of the cover member removed;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken substantially alongthe line 5-5 in FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary elevational view of a modified form ofcontainer.

A container 1, embodying the principles of the present invention, isshown in FIGS. l-5 of the drawings to illustrate the presently preferredembodiment of the present invention.

The container 1 comprises a can embodying, in general, a body portion 2,having a bottom wall 3 closing the bottom thereof, and a cover member 4mounted on the upper end of the body member 2 in closing relationthereto. The body portion 2 and the cover member 4 may be made of anysuitable material such as, for example, aluminum or tin plate, and thelike.

The body portion 2 embodies a tubular side wall portion 5, and is openat the top. The bottom wall 3 may be secured to the lower end of theside wall portion 5 by a rolled double seam 6 in the usual manner. Theupper end of the side wall portion 5 terminates in an annular, radiallyoutwardly projecting open curl 7, FIG. 2.

The cover member 4 includes a substantially diskshaped central portion 8from the outer peripheral edge of which an annular flange 9 projects:outwardly. In the assembled container 1, shown in FIG. 1, the flange 9embodies an arcuate portion 10 which extends outwardly and downwardlyaround the curl 7, and the flange 9 terminates at its lower edge in alower edge portion 11 which is disposed in flat juxtaposition to theouter face of the side wall portion 5 below the curl 7, FIG. 2. At thelower edge portion 12 of the arcuate portion 10 of the flange 9, theflange 9 is preferably disposed in underlying, abutting engagement withthe lower surface of the curl 7 so that the cover 4 is firmly heldagainst removal from the body portion 2. In the preferred form of thecontainer 1 shown in the drawings, a sealing compound 13 is disposedbetween the curl 7 and the portion of the arcuate portion 10 of theflange 9 disposed above the portion 12, so that the sealing compound 13is disposed between the curl 7 and the flange 9 across the entire topand side wall portion of the curl 7, FIG. 2. Preferably, the sealingcompound 13 is a somewhat tacky, rubber-like material and may be any oneof several suitable sealing materials readily available on the marketsuch as, for

example, a plastisol gasket sealing compound.

Three pull tabs 14, 15 and 16 extend downwardly from the lower edge ofthe lower edge portion of 11 of the flange 9, to afford integralextensions thereof, FIG. 1, for a purpose which will be discussed ingreater detail presently. Score lines 17 and 18, FIGS. 1 and 2, areformed in the flange 9 and extend therearound from one side to the otherof the group of tabs 14-16.

A slot 19 separates the tab 16 from the tab 15, FIG. 1, and terminatesat its upper end at one end of the score line 17. The score line 17extends around flange 9 and terminates at its other end at the loweredge of the lower edge portion 11 adjacent to the tab 14 on the sidethereof remote from the tab 16, FIG. 1.

Another slot line 20 separates the tab 14 from the tab 15, FIG. 1, andterminates at its upper end at one end of the score line 18. The otherend of the score line 18 terminates at the slot 19 in downwardly spacedrelation to the upper end thereof, FIG. 1.

The score line 17 defines the upper edge of a tear strip 21, whichextends around the cover member 4 from the tab 16 to the termination ofthe score line 17 at the other side of the tab 14. The lower edge of thetear strip 21 is defined by the lower edge of the lower edge portion 11of the flange 9. The upper edge of the tear strip 21, in the assembledcontainer 1, is preferably disposed downwardly and inwardly of theradially outermost portion of curl 7, FIG. 2.

The score line 18 defines the upper edge of another tear strip portion22 which extends from the tab 14, at one end, and terminates at theother end at the junction of the score line 18 with the slot 19, FIG. 1.The lower edge of the tear strip 22 is defined by the score line 17. Thescore line 18 is preferably disposed outwardly of the radially outermostportion of the curl 7 for a purpose which will be discussed in greaterdetail presently.

In the assembled container 1, the pull tabs 14-16 preferably aflordvertical extensions of the lower edge portion 11 of the flange 9, andare disposed in substantially fiat juxtaposition to the outer face ofthe side wall portion of the body portion 2. When it is desired toremove the cover member 4 from the body portion 2, the tab 16 may firstbe manually pulled upwardly and in a counterclockwise direction aroundthe container 1 to thereby tear the tear strip 11 from the cover member4 along the score line 17. When this is accomplished, the two pull tabs14 and 15 remain on the cover 4, as shown in FIG. 3, and the flange 9 ofthe cover 4 continues to extend below the curl 7 in underlying relationthereto effective to retain the cover member 4 on the body portion 2 ina positive manner.

Thereafter, in the removal of the cover member 4 from the body portion2, the pull tab 14 may be manually pulled upwardly and around thecontainer 1 in a clockwise direction to thereby tear the tear strip 22from the cover member 4. After this has been accomplished, the pull tab15 remains on the cover member 4, as shown in FIG. 4, and the portion ofthe flange 9 from which the pull tab 15 depends remains incover-retaining, underlying relation to the curl 7. After the tear strip22 has thus been removed, all of the flange 9, except the aforementionedportion thereof from which the tab 15 depends, terminates at its loweredge along the score line 18 in outwardly disposed relation to the curl7, as shown in FIG. 5.

Completion of the removal of the cover member 4 from the body portion 2'may then be effected by manually pulling upwardly on the pull tab 15 tothereby pull the aforementioned portion of the flange 9 from which thepull tab 15 depends upwardly and outwardly of the aforementionedunderlying relation to the curl 7, to thereby release the cover 4 forremoval from the body portion 2. Thereafter, by pulling upwardly on thetab 15, the cover 4 may be completely removed from the body portion 2.

With the container 1 constructed in the aforementioned manner, acontainer embodying a removable, tearstrip type of cover member isafforded wherein a relatively extensive portion of the cover member maybe readily removed with relatively little manual effort. With suchconstruction, the cover member 4 in the assembled container 1 may bedisposed in relatively extensive underlying relation to the curl 7 insuch a manner to insure good sealing characteristics between the covermember 4 and the body portion 2, while enabling the cover member 4 to bereadily removed without the use of tools of any type.

Also, it will be seen that, with a container constructed in the mannerof the container 1 shown in the drawings, after the cover member 4 hasbeen removed from the body portion 2, it can subsequently be replacedthereon in effective closing relation to the body portion 2. The covermember 4, shown in the drawings, includes a side wall portion 23 whichextends between the central portion 8 and the flange 9 in substantiallyperpendicular relation to the central portion 8. In the assembledcontainer 1, the side wall portion 23 is disposed in frictionalengagement with the inner surface of the side Wall portion 5 at theupper end thereof, FIG. 2. This is also true when the cover member 4 isreinstalled in the aforementioned covering relation to the body portion2, FIG. 5. When the cover member 4 is so reinstalled, the flange 9 restson the upper face of the curl 7 in such a manner that it would afford aneffective support for the cover member 4, even if the cover member 4 didnot embody the side wall portion 23.

In those instances where a sealing compound, such as the sealingcompound 13 is disposed between the flange 9 and the curl 7 in theassembled container 1, the sealing compound in the upper portion of theflange 9 also assists in retaining the cover member 4 on the bodyportion 2 when the cover member 4 is reinstalled in covering relation tothe body portion 2.

In FIG. 6 of the drawings a container 1a, which constitutes a modifiedform of the container 1 is shown. The container 1a is identical inconstruction to the container 1 except for the arrangement of the scorelines, the pull tabs, and the slots separating the pull tabs. Partsshown in FIG. 6 which are identical to parts shown in FIGS. 15 areindicated by the same reference numerals, and parts which are similar,but have been substituted for corresponding parts are indicated by thesame reference numerals with the suflix a added thereto.

In the container 1a, the pull tabs 14a and 16a are disposed inside-by-side relation to each other, with the pull tab 15a disposed onthe side of the pull tab 14a remote from the pull tab 16a. A slot 19aseparates the tabs 14a and 16a, and terminates at its upper end at oneend of a score line 17a, the other end of which terminates at the loweredge of the edge portion 11 of the flange 9 at the side of the tab 15aremote from the tabs 14a and 16a.

Another slot 20a separates the tabs 14a and 15a, and terminates at itsupper end at one end of a score line 18a, the other end of whichterminates at the score line 17a in outwardly spaced relation to the tab15a on the side thereof remote from the tabs 14a and 16a.

Removal of the cover member 4a from the assembled container 1a may beeffected in substantially the same manner as that heretofore describedwith respect to the removal of the container 4 from the container 1shown in FIGS. 1-5. In this instance, the pull tab 16a may first bepulled upwardly and around the container 111 in a counterclockwisedirection to thereby remove the lower tear strip 21a. Thereafter, thepull tab 14a may be pulled upwardly and around the container 1a in acounterclockwise direction to thereby remove the tear strip 22a.Completion of the removal of the cover member 4a may then be effected bypulling upwardly on the pull tab 15a to thereby pull the adjacentportion of the lower edge portion 11 of the flange 9 outwardly fromlatching engagement under the curl on the body portion 2, and lift thecover 4a from the body portion 2 of the container 1a.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the present invention affords anovel container construction which is particularly well adapted for usein the manufacture of cans, and the like. However, as will beappreciated by those skilled in the art, such construction may also beused in the manufacture of other containers such as, for example, jars,and the like, wherein the body portion 2 is made of glass or othersuitable material, and the cover members 4 or 4a are made from asuitable sheet material such as, for example, the aforementionedaluminum or tin plate, and the like.

Also it will be seen that the present invention affords a novelcontainer having a cover member of the tear-strip type which may bereadily removed from the body portion of the container. I

In addition, it will be seen that the present invention affords a novelcontainer of the aforementioned type wherein the cover member thereof isso constituted and arranged that, after it has been removed, it may beagain reinstalled in practical, effective covering relation to the bodyportion of the container.

Also, it will be seen that the present invention afiords a novelcontainer which is practical and efficient in construction andoperation, and which may be readily and economically producedcommercially.

Thus, while we have illustrated and described the preferred embodimentsof our invention, it is to be understood that the'se are capable ofvariation and modification, and we therefore do not wish to be limitedto the precise details set forth, but desire to avail ourselves of suchchanges and alterations as fall within the purview of the followingclaims.

We claim:

1. A container comprising (a) a body portion having (1) a closed bottomand (2) an open top,

(b) said body portion having an annular outwardly projecting portionextending around the top edge thereof, and

(c) a cover member disposed in closing relation to said top of said bodyportion,

(d) said cover member comprising (1) a substantial disk-shaped centralportion, (2) an annular flange (a') extending outwardly from saidcentral portion (b) curving outwardly and downwardly around said annularprojecting portion in position to hold said cover member on said bodyportion, and (3) tab means for removing said cover from said bodyportion,

(e) said flange having two score lines extending therearound from oneside of said tab means to the other in laterally spaced relation to eachother,

(f) one of said score lines (1) extending above the lower edge of saidflange and inwardly of, and below, the radially outermost portion ofsaid annular projecting portion, and

(2) defining the upper edge of a tear strip extending along the loweredge of said lower edge portion (g) the other of said score lines (1)extending above said one score line and outwardly of the radiallyoutermost portion of saic annular projecting portion, and (2) definingthe upper edge of another tear stri extending along the upper edge ofsaid first mentioned tear strip, (h) said tab means comprising (1) apull tab on one end of said first mentioned tear strip for pulling thelatter off from said flange, and 2) another pull tab on one end of saidother tear strip for pulling the latter ofif from the remainder of saidflange after said first mentioned tear strip has been removed therefrom.2. A container as defined in claim 1, and in which (a) said tab meansincludes a third pull tab 1) disposed between said first two mentionedpull tabs, and (2) projecting from the lower edge of said flange forpulling said cover member oif from said body portion after said two tearstrips have been so removed from said flange. 3. A container as definedin claim 1, and in which (a) said tab means includes a third pull tab(1) disposed at the side of said other pull tab remote from said firstmentioned pull tab, and (2) projecting from the lower edge of saidflange for pulling said cover member ofi from said body portion aftersaid two tear strips have been so removed from said flange. 4. Acontainer as defined in claim 1, and in which (a) said flange has alower edge portion projecting downwardly from said annular projectingportion in substantially parallel juxtaposed engagement with the outerface of said body portion, and (b) said first mentioned pull tab isattached to said downwardly projecting lower edge portion for removingthe latter. 5. A container as defined in claim ll, and in which (a) saidflange has slots extending through the lower edge portion thereofadjacent to said first mentioned tab and to said other tab from thelower edge of said flange to said one score line and said other scoreline, respectively.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/1965 Miller et a1 220-54 9/1966Henrickson 220-54

1. A CONTAINER COMPRISING (A) A BODY PORTION HAVING (1) A CLOSED BOTTOMAND (2) AN OPEN TOP, (B) SAID BODY PORTION HAVING AN ANNULAR OUTWARDLYPROJECTING PORTION EXTENDING AROUND THE TOP EDGE THEREOF, AND (C) ACOVER MEMBER DISPOSED IN CLOSING RELATION TO SAID TOP OF SAID BODYPORTION, (D) SAID COVER MEMBER COMPRISING (1) A SUBSTANTIAL DISK-SHAPEDCENTRAL PORTION, (2) AN ANNULAR FLANGE (A'') EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROMSAID CENTRAL PORTION (B'') CURVING OUTWARDLY AND DOWNWARDLY AROUND SAIDANNULAR PROJECTING PORTION IN POSITION TO HOLD SAID COVER MEMBER ON SIADBODY PORTION, AND (3) TAB MEANS FOR REMOVING AND COVER FROM SAID BODYPORTION, (E) SAID FLANG HAVING TWO SCORE LINE EXTENDING THEREAROUND FROMONE SIDE OF SAID TAB MEANS TO THE OTHER IN LATERALLY SPACED RELATION TOEACH OTHER, (F) ONE OF SAID SCORE LINES (1) EXTENDING ABOVE THE LOWEREDGE OF SAID FLANGE AND INWARLDY OF, AND BELOW, THE RADIALLY OUTERMOSTPORTION OF SAID ANNULAR PROJECTING PORTION, AND (2) DEFINING THE UPPEREDGE OF A TEAR STRIP EXTENDING ALONG THE LOWER EDGE OF SAID LOWER EDGEPORTION (G) THE OTHER OF SAID SCORE LINES (1) EXTENDING ABOVE SAID ONESCORE LINE AND OUTWARDLY OF THE RADIALLY OUTERMOST PORTION OF SAIDANNULAR PROJECTING PORTION, AND (2) DEFINING THE UPPER EDGE OF ANOTHERTEAR STRIP EXTENDING ALONG THE UPPER EDGE OF SAID FIRST MEMTIONED TEARSTRIP, (H) SAID TAB MEANS COMPRISING (1) A PULL TAB ON ONE END OF SAIDFRIST MENTIONED TEAR STRIP FOR PULLING THE LATTER OFF FROM SAID FLANGE,AND (2) ANOTHER PULL TAB ON ONE END OF SAID OTHER TEAR STRIP FOR PULLINGTHE LATTER OFF FROM THE REMAINDER OF SIAD FLANGE AFTER SAID FIRSTMENTIONED TEAR STRIP HAS BEEN REMOVED THEREFROM.